jackknife

noun

Definition of jackknifenext
1
as in pocketknife

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2
as in belly flop

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of jackknife The senior jackknife had a 10-yard rushing TD, then a punt return for a TD to give the Eagles a 14-12 lead. — Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025 Singh allegedly made a U-turn in an unauthorized area on the Florida Turnpike, causing his truck to jackknife and collide with a minivan. — Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2025 An investigation shows that a semi-truck pulling tandem trailers hydroplaned, causing the driver to lose control and the semi to jackknife. — Sam Gillette, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025 The semi then crashed into two other 18-wheelers, causing one to jackknife and hit a Jeep Compass, Ford Mustang and Honda, officials with DPS told WFAA-TV. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for jackknife
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jackknife
  1. pocketknife
  2. belly flop
  3. knife
  4. header
  5. dagger
  6. drop
  7. switchblade
  8. slip
Noun
  • Test your news knowledge with this week's Fox News Digital News Quiz, featuring a controversy over an attorney’s social media post and a pocketknife discovered by Transportation Security Administration officers.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Cody Lawrence also said a pocketknife fell out of his sweatshirt during the struggle, so his father may have been stabbed.
    — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of pocketknife
Noun
  • Chuck Sargent Houston USC executes yet another belly flop against a top opponent, and Gary Patterson’s vaunted defense is giving up more than 35 points per game in the Big Ten.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
  • On splashdown, the rocket tipped over and belly flopped into the sea as expected, broke apart and exploded as left over propellants ignited.
    — William Harwood, CBS News, 22 May 2026
Definition of belly flop
Noun
  • The satirical remarks drew criticism after a man later breached security at the Washington Hilton event while armed with a shotgun, handgun and several knives.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Sierra then tied Machado’s hands up with a nylon rope and threatened her with a knife.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of knife
Noun
  • To help textile mills assess the impact of their headers, Fabscrap also developed a Smart Swatch Scorecard, which assigns header designs a grade, based on the number of components and the relative ease of disassembling them.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026
  • On August 4, 2026, a federal appeals court issued the first federal appellate ruling on an AI agent, and the dispute turned on an HTTP header.
    — Michael Riedl, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of header
Noun
  • The shot included five receptions for Lamb on the final drive for 41 yards and the dagger in the end zone.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Oct. 2026
  • But El Tri’s intensity was extinguished by Julian Hall’s 28th-minute goal, and against-the-run-of-play dagger that turned the tide while giving the 18-year-old forward goals in three straight games to begin his national team career.
    — Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of dagger
Noun
  • By the C-suite, Latinas are 1% of executives, down from just under 5% at entry level — a drop of 78% across a career, the largest of any group in the study.
    — Anna Maria Chavez, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Except Fitzgerald was never inconsistent in his pass catching while Harrison has struggled with drops.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of drop
Noun
  • Chris Cooper, a political scientist at Western Carolina University (of no relation to the candidate), sometimes jokes that Roy Cooper is like Mister Rogers, if Mister Rogers carried a switchblade.
    — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
  • If the trade does go through as is, then other questions about the Raptors sprout up — namely, what is to come of RJ Barrett, the 26-year-old switchblade entering the final season of his contract and eligible for an extension this summer.
    — Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of switchblade
Noun
  • Instead, it’s comprised of five—Sani Beach, Sani Asterias, Porto Sani, Sani Dunes, and Sani Club—stretched out across a slip of sandy beach backed by pine forests on the northwestern Aegean.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The slip didn’t go unnoticed by Mikey Day’s Lorax, who later worked the blunder into the sketch.
    — Anna Tingley, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of slip

Browse Nearby Words

jacking (up)
jackknife
jackknives
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jackknife.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jackknife. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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